The fifth edition of the Bowerman men's and women's watch lists for 2024 were released on May 1 and 2, with 10 athletes per gender making the cut. I've taken a look at both lists and ranked the athletes 1-10 to show who's in the lead for the Bowerman at this point in the season.
Keep in mind that these are my rankings of the already announced Bowerman candidates listed on the Bowerman watch list based on past performances and future projections. This is not an indication of how the Bowerman committee voted or will vote in the future.
I am using evaluations from the ranking I did after the fourth watchlist update in these rankings too and will reference those in this article at points. With only three weeks between this watch list and the last, performances during that time frame will be the main catalysts for changes.
That said, here's my ranking of the athletes on the fifth Bowerman watch list update.
Women
Who dropped out in watch list No. 5 (Stan's last ranking): Juliette Whitaker, Stanford (7)
1. Parker Valby, Florida (Distance) | Prev: 1
Since the last Bowerman ranking, Parker Valby added another collegiate record to her resume. Valby set the 10,000-meter record in her lone race of the outdoor season so far, bolstering her case as the Bowerman front-runner.
AWARDS: The 2024 Bowerman Watch List for men's and women's NCAA track and field
2. Maia Ramsden, Harvard (Mid-Distance/Distance) | Prev: 6
Maia Ramsden moves to No. 2 in my Bowerman rankings after opening her season with the 10th-fastest 1500-meter time in NCAA history and then running the anchor leg on Harvard's collegiate record-setting DMR at Penn Relays. No one has improved her Bowerman resume during the outdoor season more than Ramsden.
3. Rachel Glenn, Arkansas (Hurdles/Jumps) | Prev: 2
Rachel Glenn's path to the Bowerman will be continued success in multiple events. After a fantastic indoor season, she has run the second-fastest 400 hurdles (54.91), jumped the third-highest high jump (1.90) and ran the third leg on the fastest 4x4 with a 50.87 split.
4. JaMeesia Ford, South Carolina (Sprints) | Prev: 3
JaMeesia Ford didn't do anything to fall from the third spot on the list, but rather Maia Ramsden moved past her. Ford remains one of the top sprinters in the country with the fastest 200 meters and fifth-fastest 400 meters this season.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: These are the top freshmen in women's outdoor track and field halfway through 2024
5. Brianna Lyston, LSU (Sprints) | Prev: 5
Brianna Lyston ran the No. 2 100 meter and No. 3 200 meter time this season in the three weeks since the last Bowerman watch list. She's also run on the third-fastest 4x1 relay this year. Her early outdoor success allows her to stay put at No. 5.
6. Jaida Ross, Oregon (Throws) | Prev: 10
Jaida Ross was 10th in my last ranking of women on the Bowerman watch list. In the three weeks since Ross tied her collegiate shot put record again with one of the most impressive series of all time. That moves Ross in front of all Bowerman candidates who don't have an indoor title and up another spot too.
RECORDS: Every collegiate track and field record broken in 2024
7. Jasmine Jones, Southern California (Sprints/Hurdles) | Prev: 4
Jasmine Jones drops from No. 4 to No. 7 because her outdoor season is just getting started. In her 400 hurdle opener, she did run 56.24 — the ninth-fastest time in the NCAA — but the two ladies who moved ahead of her all have top-three marks so far. Jones also doesn't have a collegiate record yet this season, albeit the No. 3 60 hurdles time is impressive.
8. Michaela Rose, LSU (Mid-Distance) | Prev: 8
Michaela Rose stays put at No. 8. Since the last Bowerman ranking, she's added the No. 2 all-time 800-meter time (1:58.37) to her resume. However, what I said after watchlist No. 4 still applies here, "it's the elusive indoor title that keeps Rose from rising higher up this list."
NEXT TO FALL: T&F records on notice this postseason
9. Lamara Distin, Texas A&M (Jumps) | Prev: 9
Distin holds on to No. 9 ahead of the newest entry to the Bowerman watch list because she has a collegiate record. Her outdoor season has also been impressive with the top high jump this year.
10. Jacious Sears, Tennessee (Sprints) | Prev: NR
Jacious Sears is the newest entrant to the Bowerman watch list and she comes in at No. 10. She joins the watch list after running the No. 2 all-time 100 meters in 10.77 seconds. However, she is the only watch list member without a collegiate record or indoor title.
ELITE: Ranking the top 20 men's and women's outdoor track and field athletes
Men
Who dropped out in watch list No. 5 (Stan's last ranking): Kenneth Ikeji, Harvard (6), Luke Houser, Washington (8)
1. Nico Young, Northern Arizona (Distance) | Prev: 1
Nico Young would've been my Bowerman pick after the indoor season, and he's also my top men's athlete when looking at the outdoor season alone. He holds on to the top spot.
OUTDOOR CHAMPS: Schedule, location, TV channels, history for the 2024 NCAA outdoor track and field championships
2. Christopher Morales Williams, Georgia (Sprints) | Prev: 3
Christopher Morales Williams has never not been the national leader in the 400 meters since he's taken the track this outdoor season. Two collegiate-leading races are enough to grab the second spot on this list when combined with his indoor achievements.
3. Leo Neugebauer, Texas (Combined Events) | Prev: 4
Leo Neugebauer hasn't done a decathlon since the last Bowerman watch list, but he did PR in an individual discus throw event at Mt. SAC Relays. That's a good sign as conference and national championships approach.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Top freshmen halfway through 2024 men's outdoor track and field season
4. Terrence Jones, Texas Tech (Sprints) | Prev: 2
Terrence Jones drops from No. 2 to No. 4 because he's yet to run an individual outdoor race yet this season.
5. Wayne Pinnock, Arkansas (Jumps) | Prev: 5
Wayne Pinnock opened his outdoor season with three long jumps that surpassed 8.15 meters. Pinnock has what it takes to continue to climb the record books and stays in the top five of my Bowerman rankings.
HALFWAY: Midseason superlatives for NCAA men's and women's outdoor track and field
6. Romaine Beckford, Arkansas (Jumps) | Prev: 7
Beckford's Bowerman resume hasn't changed much in the last three weeks, but he did open his outdoor season with a 2.23-meter clearance. That's the fourth-best high jump in the country, but it's not enough to pass up any of his fellow indoor titlists.
7. Colin Sahlman, Northern Arizona (Mid-Distance) | Prev: NR
Colin Sahlman has had the third-best outdoor season of any athlete this season. He's also the only Bowerman watch list member from the group without indoor titles that finished in the top eight of an individual event. That's why he makes his debut at No. 7.
8. Chris Robinson, Alabama (Sprints/Hurdles) | Prev: NR
As stated in the lede, these rankings are "based on past performances and future projections." Chris Robinson makes his Bowerman watch list debut after becoming the No. 6 all-time collegiate performer in the 400-meter hurdles. I am more confident in Robinson's potential to finish atop the podium than the next person on this list, which is why he enters eighth.
9. Sam Whitmarsh, Texas A&M (Sprints/Mid-Distance) | Prev: 10
Sam Whitmarsh has added a Championship of America 4x800 relay at Penn Relays with a 1:45.02 split since the last Bowerman watch list. He moves up one spot to ninth with that performance.
FRANKLIN FIELD: Recapping the 2024 Penn Relays
10. Graham Blanks, Harvard (Distance) | Prev: 9
Graham Blanks drops to the bottom spot of these rankings. He set the collegiate record in December in the 5K, and that will remain impressive even though it has since fallen. However, his only other race since that record was a 5K in April where his time only ranks No. 28 in the country.
One can make the argument that other athletes received votes that are more deserving of a spot on the watch list at this point in the season. I'd argue Luke Houser, Kenneth Ikeji or Tarik Robinson-O'Hagan are more deserving of this 10th spot than Blanks.
: Arkansas, Texas Tech win 2024 indoor titles | Florida, Arkansas win 2024 outdoor titles | How the outdoor championships work
💥HISTORY: Programs with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Bowerman history
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons
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